Savannah oncologist helps late-stage cancer patients see a chance at life with new treatments

Kim Wade

Saturday

Apr 13, 2019 at 9:12 PM

No one wants to hear the words “you have Stage IV cancer.”

For many of us, that diagnosis would seem like a death sentence. The good news is treatments have advanced to such a degree where patients with late-stage cancer are now living much longer, according to longtime Savannah oncologist Mark A. Taylor at the J.C. & Nancy N. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph's/Candler.

New drugs, technology

“When I was in training, breast cancer was one of the easier things to study for,” Taylor says. "There were two regimens to pick from in the late ’90s ... Everyone got chemo and it was the same chemo.

“But in a relatively short amount of time, we now have a dozen different chemo options ... and we now give chemo to a fraction of the patients we used to give it to. We’ve learned better who benefits and who doesn’t ... and that’s good.”

And aside from the new drugs on the market, Taylor says new technology is also a boost to treatments.

“We are now venturing into immunotherapy. And, we have high hopes that those treatments we see on TV will apply to a set of breast cancer patients.

“To me, it’s absolutely amazing how far we’ve come in half a generation in our understanding and treatment of cancer ... When I first started, the treatments we used were almost barbaric … compared to what we do now.

“I'm not even 50 yet,” he says and he laughs. “There’s no telling where we will be when I retire.”

But before he starts looking down the retirement road, there are number of cancer patients in our area who depend on Taylor to guide them to the best treatment options — even if that means seeking medical expertise from another facility to get the best outcome possible.

Going into fight mode

Like Taylor’s patient Antionette Plummer, 56, of Hardeeville, S.C. Plummer says she was first diagnosed with Stage IIB breast cancer in 2008.

“I was confident in 2008 that it was Stage II,” she says. “It was in my left breast and some lymph nodes. I was very confident in my treatment ... and doctors reassured me I would make it.”

But then Plummer says the cancer came back in 2012. “I really went into fight mode then.”

This time around, Plummer was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. She had HER2-positive breast cancer, and she says the cancer had metastasized in her liver.

“When I was told it was Stage IV, I thought, what do you do with that? My younger son was finishing middle school and I wanted to see him graduate high school. I was quite worried.

“... I thought, who are they talking to?” she says and laughs. “Are you talking to me?”

But she says finding the new cancers wasn’t by accident. She knew something was wrong with her body, but she had no idea how sick she was.

“I was stressed, working full-time, going back to school. I was extremely fatigued. I called the doctor because it was unusual. I couldn’t ever get enough sleep. And the doctor told me to come in.

“... I had no pain, no discomfort, my appetite was good. But I knew something was wrong because I was tired all the time.”

She says they gave her a CT scan, and she soon received a call from the nurse telling her to come in right away.

“When I realized the tumor markers were 400 instead of 20, I knew it’s serious. They found spots all over my liver.

“I take everything very prayerfully and determined, and I immediately started making my plan.”

Seeking support, advice

Her first step was to start reaching out to friends in the medical field to ask for advice.

“I thought, this is not going to take my life. I have a child in middle school and I will not leave him.”

She says her brother became a big part of her support system and would go to her appointments with her.

“Dr. Taylor encouraged me to go to New York to seek the best cancer treatment ... And my brother just said, ‘Where do we go? New York? Done. I’ll get her in there one way or another.’

“That’s what saved me, my family, and not wanting to give up and see my sons grow up. I just tried not to think of it in those terms. God is good. I have to put all my hope and strength in him and my family.”

With the help of her parents and her brother, Plummer was able to make it up to New York to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The doctors there told Taylor the best medicines for Plummer’s type of breast cancer, and Taylor was able to move her to another drug that helped her.

Taylor explains that for Stage IV cancer, the number of chemo drug options has expanded. He also says that back in the day, the same diagnosis Plummer received would “have meant rapid death.”

“In the years since I’ve been trained, we now have handful of anti-HER2 drugs, which allows someone like Ms. Plummer to live for a decade, and that would have been unheard of a long time ago.”

Where she is now

Taylor says he remembers Plummer telling him her initial goal was to live to see her two boys graduate high school.

Her sons are now 27 and 18.

Despite the time that has passed, Plummer still has chemo treatments every three weeks in Savannah.

“I most likely won’t get off chemotherapy,” she says. “This drug is taking care of the cancer cells ... and they are doing their job, so I’ll just stick with it.”

She says she owes her positive attitude and health to removing stress from her life, eating healthier and having “a wonderful support system.”

“I prayed to be here today.”

And her advice to others who may receive the same dreaded news?

“Advocate for yourself,” she says. “Try to make sure you have good doctors who understand what you need, and you may have to travel.

“I still have my mother and father ... and we have a big garden and I eat from that garden every day.

"The most important thing is to watch what you eat ... Not eating right and having too much stress in your life can take your life.

“My father is 80 and my mother is 75, but you wouldn’t know it. They are strong people. My mom cooked for me when I was sick and my father kept getting me up and going every day. And, here I am today, still fighting.”

And she is a strong believer in the power of prayer.

“Thousands of people prayed for me. And I really want to reach out to others going through this. When I have chemo, I reach out to others at the clinic and I tell people it’s not over, you can fight it.

“I’m just grateful. I credit having that well-rounded support system — and my fight helped.”

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